Narrabri’s branch of the Commonwealth Bank is one of 90 across Australia to have its opening hours cut from September.
The change will see the local branch shut its doors at 1pm, limiting its opening time to three-and-a-half hours daily.
Other nearby sites slated for early closure include Moree, Coonabarabran and Coonamble.
In NSW, 31 branches varying from coastal locations to remote outback communities are impacted by the change. The multi-national bank announced that reduced hours will be effective from September 13.
In a statement, Commonwealth Bank said the affected sites would close earlier to assist its Australian-based contact centres.
The bank said the contact centres are receiving more than a million increasingly complex customer enquiries every month.
Mark Jones, Commonwealth Bank’s executive general manager (customer service network) said branches in regional Australia will continue to play an important role in delivering great service to customers now and into the future.
“This is an example of how we are adapting to meet changing customers’ evolving needs while ensuring jobs stay in regional communities,” he said.
“We’re expanding our Australian-based contact centre network from five dedicated locations to over 90 communities across the country, while keeping a physical banking presence in regional communities.”
Mr Jones said the communities impacted by the change would still have convenient access to the bank’s ATMs.
“We understand these changes may be an adjustment for some of our customers, and the team at their local branch will continue to be available to help them find the solutions that best suit their needs,” he said.
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